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The Great Cloud Of Witnesses

The Communion of Saints~Sistine Chapel

"And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us:Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God."~Hebrews 12: 1~2

Today the Church celebrates all the saints of heaven. These holy men and women are one of God's great gift to us. The saints in heaven are our friends and helpers while we remain here in this earthly exile. They pray for us and intercede for us. We can ask them to pray with us. They are also examples for us, as well as signs of hope. It is sometimes easy to forget that many of these men and women did not always live saintly lives. Just pick up a copy of St Augustine's Confessions for proof of this.
One of the things, perhaps the thing that made these men and women saints was their never giving up on the process of conversion. Because they were human, they were also sinful, but they knew and trusted in the abundance of God's mercy. When they fell, they got back up again, and started fresh.
On this feast of All Saints, let us ask our patron saints to pray and intercede for us, so that we may have the courage and the strength to seek God's mercy when we fall.
All you holy men and women, pray for us!

Comments

A question for you. Can I ask ALL the Saints, even though I don't know all their names, to intercede for me? Or is that cheating and not allowed?

When I was young and we prayed the Litany of the Saints in Latin in church I always wondered why some Saints where missing and what made a Saint worthy to be included in that prayer. I always added in the end St Victorimus (or whatever is the Latin for Victor) in case he exists up there and he'd look after me. He probably got upset that I got his name wrong.

By all means Victor, pray to all the saints named and unnamed; today is their day too!As for St Victor here is the little bit I found on him from Catholic Online:"The author of a treatise on the throwing of dice, St. Victor was an African who made Latin the official language of the Roman church. He was a favorite of Marcia, mistress to the Emperor Commodus, and gave her lists of imprisoned Christians, whom she released. Victor excommunicated several bishops for celebrating Easter on 14 Nisan. Irenaeus of Lyons criticized Victor's severity. During his papacy (189-198), Victor also fought gnosticism and monarchianism."

I have no idea what the treatise on dice throwing is all about :)God bless and Happy All Saints Day!